Is that a Timber Wolf in your back pocket?

[Major Headcase]

I have a question regarding Wolf's Dragoons:
I know that on their way to the IS they dropped of their warships and advanced gear at a secret supply depot. What I'm wondering is, did they have any Omni-mechs in that supply cache? Or did they only bring Succession Wars and Star League tech with them?
I haven't read all the source material on the Dragoons and I haven't read the novels surrounding the Dragoons "coming out" party just before the invasion, so I don't know if I have just missed this tidbit of info or not???
Thanks for any help!! 😁

[Dragon Cat]

I believe they picked up schematics for OmniMechs later during one of their last supply runs to homeworlds

I think I was only a couple of designs they had access to Dire Wolf being the obvious one with each individually built not a production line

[Liam's Ghost]

Their initial equipment was almost entirely downgraded star league/very early clan equipment. It seems there were a few exceptions, but those appeared to be limited to star league level equipment.

They also made several supply runs to replace losses. On the last of these (around 3020), they received new orders from Khan Kerlin Ward to prepare the inner sphere for a clan invasion, as well as schematics to produce clan technology and omnimechs. As far as I know, they didn't get these new mechs into production until around 3050, and it doesn't look like they ever had the capability to produce a lot of them.

(Fun side note. I've long suspected that the dragoons' exclusive Archer variant was based on one of the configurations of the Summoner. Jaime Wolf piloted a Summoner when he was in clan service)

[Major Headcase]

I believe they picked up schematics for OmniMechs later during one of their last supply runs to homeworlds

I think I was only a couple of designs they had access to Dire Wolf being the obvious one with each individually built not a production line

Aaah! See, now I didn't know they went all the way back to the Clan world's! I thought they went to their secret base and hunkered down while they rebuilt and resupplied... okay, that changes my perception a bit! Thanks! 😀

[Wotan]

And they werent very successful to prepare the IS for a clan invasion.  ;D

Especially the Dire Wolf blueprints can't obviously be part of the first mission in 3005 as the Dire Wolf was developed by 3010.

[Elmoth]

Actually the dragoons are one of those overhyped units with too many cool toys and writer fiat protection that really failed abysmally when confronted with even opponents or when were tasked with a real task.

*dodges incoming fire of dragoon fans while running away*

[Dragon Cat]

Aaah! See, now I didn't know they went all the way back to the Clan world's! I thought they went to their secret base and hunkered down while they rebuilt and resupplied... okay, that changes my perception a bit! Thanks! 😀

They actually had both they did have a hidden base with their Warships and supplies but they also went at least part of the way back to the homeworlds to get new orders and more supplies

I don't think they actually had a map all the way I think I remember reading they wiped their navigation logs for the trip home to stop lost equipment being used as a map to the homeworlds

[Elmoth]

IIRC they did that (whipe out the homewolrd locations) before their last trip, when they effectively defected from the clans.

[JadeHellbringer]

Actually the dragoons are one of those overhyped units with too many cool toys and writer fiat protection that really failed abysmally when confronted with even opponents or when were tasked with a real task.

*dodges incoming fire of dragoon fans while running away*

Yeah, never been a fan of the giant-scale 'hero' merc units either- Dragoons, Kell Hounds, Eridani Light Horse, GDL, etc.- they're boring, to me. I like the more 'on the edge of desperation' units much more- Wilson's Hussars, for example, or some of the ones like Smithson's Chinese Bandits that ended up finding that they had to get their hands a lot dirtier than expected to survive (falling into Blakist machinations or even outright piracy to get by).

No judgement about Dragoon fans, obviously, but my sole regret about the scouring of Outreach was that Herb, Ben and co. didn't finish the job the way they did with the GDL.

[Empyrus]

No judgement about Dragoon fans, obviously, but my sole regret about the scouring of Outreach was that Herb, Ben and co. didn't finish the job the way they did with the GDL.

The Dragoons were established to exist circa Dark Age already so i reckon the Jihad writers were limited by that, regardless what they may have wanted.
I don't think they ever regained their former status though. Powerful mercs, respected, but not uber special. Mercs business has faltered in the Dark Age after all.

[JadeHellbringer]

The Dragoons were established to exist circa Dark Age already so i reckon the Jihad writers were limited by that, regardless what they may have wanted.
I don't think they ever regained their former status though. Powerful mercs, respected, but not uber special. Mercs business has faltered in the Dark Age after all.

To be fair, while much of that was pre-ordained, they also weren't afraid to do things like changing around the circumstances of Peter Steiner-Davion's death and such. There's precedent.

That said, yeah, they're not exactly also-rans in the Dark Age, but not 'several regiments of crack troops with Clan gear and their own factories' kind of crap anymore. I'll call it even.

The GDL though deserve a few Jade Falcons stomping over their graves. Fight me on this.  ;D

[Sartris]

I like to think they had a few stars of omnis for a "in case found completely up shit creek, unseal the Union-C" situation

[HABeas2]

To be fair, while much of that was pre-ordained, they also weren't afraid to do things like changing around the circumstances of Peter Steiner-Davion's death and such. There's precedent.

That wouldn't have enabled us to waste the damnable Traitor Goons the same way. PSD's death was one of those things we could play with, but wiping the Goons out once and for all? Yeah, Loren and Randall wouldn't have allowed it, no matter how much sense it made to do so. Same fiat shield protected the Kell Hounds, Victor & Katherine SD, Sun-Tzu Liao, and so on.

- Herb

[Sartris]

What is the bv of a fiat shield?

[truetanker]

What is the bv of a fiat shield?

One Hundred Trillion to one, it's a one hundred trillion BV!!!1!

And that's standard 4/5...
TT

[Sartris]

One Hundred Trillion to one, it's a one hundred trillion BV!!!1!

And that's standard 4/5...
TT

Ah the old Jamie Wolf vs 35 trillion stingers scenario

[truetanker]

Ah the old Jamie Wolf vs 35 trillion stingers scenario

One man, and his Machine!

TT

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I'm sad that there was never a canon fight between Jaime Wolf and Morgan Kell.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Yeah, never been a fan of the giant-scale 'hero' merc units either- Dragoons, Kell Hounds, Eridani Light Horse, GDL, etc.- they're boring, to me. I like the more 'on the edge of desperation' units much more- Wilson's Hussars, for example, or some of the ones like Smithson's Chinese Bandits that ended up finding that they had to get their hands a lot dirtier than expected to survive (falling into Blakist machinations or even outright piracy to get by).

No judgement about Dragoon fans, obviously, but my sole regret about the scouring of Outreach was that Herb, Ben and co. didn't finish the job the way they did with the GDL.

The Kell Hounds, at least, were more of a House unit pretending to be mercenaries despite never actually working for anyone else.

[truetanker]

Oh I think they did a great job beating whiney-be puppies down like WWE Raw! Just enough " lavage " to insure proper cleansing for the next time. Who doesn't like a great comeback story every now and then?

TT

( Yes I did use the correct wording here )

[Hellraiser]

I don't know about every trip, but I think it is mentioned that the Dragoons met the Khan in the periphery somewhere.

It would likely make sense that they did so where they dropped off the Warships.

It would also explain how they were back so fast using standard JS's unless they used their mothballed Warships to make those trips.

It would be far more likely that the Khan came most the way to the IS to meet them

They also had no Omni's with them.

They only took SL Tech items & even some of those had to be left behind w/ the warships when it was discovered they would stand out too much.

The Imp & Annihilator specifically made a lot of people say WTH?!?!?

[truetanker]

And then they produced the very first Armored Gluag... Marauder II!

It was like WTF did we just see... a slow-ass Marauder that brushed off an AC/20 and still keeps coming?

And it has a Stalker buddy keeping pace as well? And it has buddies supporting them? I bugging out now!

TT

[Wotan]

The Kell Hounds, at least, were more of a House unit pretending to be mercenaries despite never actually working for anyone else.

They worked for the FedSuns, when Prince Ian died. And they worked for the FWL after Morgan Kells departure. And short before the 4thSW again a tour with the FedSuns.

[Major Headcase]

Well I for one am very happy that all of the classic iconic units WEREN'T allowed to be arbitrarily erased. The Jihad was bad enough as it was. But that's another topic.
And since this topic ISN'T "which unit do I hate the most for being a success" maybe shelve that discussion on another thread??

The info on the Dragoons secret base and trips back home to raid the fridge and do their laundry?? What books/sources do I look in? Novels? Sourcebook? Crystal ball?
A point in the right research direction would be hawt!! 😁

[Wotan]

IIRC the story, when the WD recovered their warships is covered in Blood Legacy. Maybe there are navigation data? Haven't the book at hand.

[haesslich]

The novel where they got their warships and other cached tech was in Wolf Pack. They were established as making limited runs of Clan mechs as of Blood Legacy, which is what you're remembering.

That's also where Jamie told Teddy K that Khan Kerlin Ward told them, during their last supply run, to cut ties and prepare the Inner Sphere for invasion.


Which, given how the novels went, they didn't. At least they didn't get all the Steiner-Davion killed, so other parties could get their shots in.

[Wotan]

Yeah, i always wondered what their plan was. What kind of preparation was it to sit back and keep secret? What if they had really contacted Hanse and told him the truth?

Do we have coordinates in Wolf Pack where the warship cache is?

[glitterboy2098]

note that shortly after that meeting with kerlin Ward, the Dragoons opened up Academies on Outreach, with training options in mech piloting, tactics, logistics, Mech repair, etc.. it was used a lot by mercenaries, but also by successor state military's. and graduates of said places would inevitably spread their skills around afterwards.

While the Dragoon's couldn't really improve the technology of the IS much without revealing their deception, they could conduct a ground-up program to increase the general competence of the inner sphere's techs, soldiers, and officers.

[Dragon Cat]

I think they also helped with intelligence they had on the Clans but I was surprised after luthien they weren't more active against Clan forces

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Why would they need to be?  House units were starting to win against the Clans and they had a cushy little fiefdom that was making buttloads of cash for little work.